Vanuatu Daily Post – By Godwin Ligo Jun 26, 2015
Vanuatu’s position on West Papua application and other important regional issues will be known at the end of the MSG Summit, according to reliable sources within the Government.
Reliable sources within the Government have confirmed that the Government has appointed a Special Prime Minister’s Envoy to the MSG Meeting in Honiara.
He is the Prime Minister’s Office, Director General (DG), Johnson Naviti, but the Daily Post also understands that the DG Naviti will travel to Honiara to convey the Vanuatu Government’s decisions to the meeting.
The Government’s stand on the issue of West Papua application for full MSG membership and other important regional issues will be made known only at the end of the MSG heads of government summit, which ends tomorrow with plenary and closing ceremony.
The outcome of the West Papua application for MSG full membership is expected to be made known publicly from Honiara, Solomon Islands, later today, Vanuatu time.
The decision by the MSG leaders will be made during the MSG Heads of Governments during their Retreat today, according to reliable government source in Port Vila.
It is expected to be made known through a Communiqué to be issued by the MSG officials in Honiara late today.
The Daily Post understands that Vanuatu Prime Minister nor other ministers could be present at the MSG 20th Summit, 2015, because of the current political situation in the country involving court cases; first the Constitutional Case involving Speaker’s decision to close the First Ordinary Session of Parliament when the Opposition sponsored motion against Prime Minister Sato Kilman, was not debated and the bribery case that has been moved by Court for hearing next month.
The West Papua application for full membership into the MSG has been one of the main issues of concern by the churches, the chiefs and other civil societies in Vanuatu and around the Pacific region and beyond prior to and over the period of the MSG 20th Summit 2015 in Honiara this week.
The Vanuatu Christian Council have aired their stand on the issue for and on behalf of all churches and Christian ministries in the country earlier this week while the Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs made a final call on the Vanuatu Government to vote for West Papua full membership in a statement published in the Daily Post yesterday.
Shortly, the outcome will be made known and it will most likely show what Vanuatu’s stand is on the West Papua Application for full membership into the MSG.
Since its election, the new government has not officially cleared its position on the United Liberal Movement of West Papua’s application to be a full member of the MSG.
ligo@dailypost.vu